Possum Photo is © Wildlife Victoria . All other photos ©Mara Cunne�.

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CROCHETED POUCHES FOR ORPHANED & INJURED MARSUPIALS These are used as outer pouches for a range of marsupials. They’re just rectangles of crocheted fabric, folded in half and seamed together on the sides, leaving the top open. A sewn fabric liner will be inserted later by the rescue service, with extra fabric folded over the open top. Here’s what the pouches look like finished, and in ac�on..

Sizes can vary, as animals come in all shapes and sizes, from microbats to wombats! One service suggests the following 3 sizes for the finished dimensions of the pouch: S – 16cm square M – 24cm square L – 30cm square Yarn should be between 4-8ply and can be wool, acrylic or blends. Must be machine washable

Instruc�ons – Crochet a rectangle of fabric which is twice as high as it is wide. You can use the size guide above for the suggested widths, but don’t stress if your size is a bit different. Use the suggested hook size for your yarn, or a hook which will give you a firm gauge. It’s important to use a closed crochet s�tch and a fairly firm gauge to keep the animal warm. Double Crochet (dc) s�tch has been recommended, although that can be quite s�ff. Alterna�vely, try dc in the Back Loop Only (BLO) or Linen S�tch (dc, ch1, sk1) for a more flexible but closed fabric. These are UK terms – the US equivalent to dc s�tch is sc (Single Crochet). Once you have your rectangle, fold it in half to make a square and then seam the two sides closed using whatever method you prefer. Weave in the ends. If you like, you can crochet a cord and thread it through s�tches about 1cm below the opening, to make a drawstring, but this is en�rely op�onal. There is also a pa�ern for making crocheted nests at: h�ps://www.wires.org.au/wildlife-info/wildlife-factsheets/making-wildlife-nests

Each outer needs 2 to 3 100% co�on fabric liners, Flannele�e reccomended. Liners should bethe width of the outer and at least 5cm (2 inches) longer so they can be folded over at top.You are welcome to provide liners or send without and they will be made for the pouches.

Pick plain non fuzzy yarns.No specialty yarns with bobble, fringe, gli�er etc as babies will eat them

Possum Photo is © Wildlife Victoria . All other photos ©Mara Cunne�.

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SOME SAMPLE CROCHET POUCH PATTERNS (UK Terms) The following are some example pa�erns, suitable for beginner crocheters. You can make pouches in other sizes, using different closed s�tches, different weights of yarn, different hook sizes or even using colourwork techniques. Just please remember to use a closed crochet s�tch, and not to use an open s�tch like trebles (known as double crochet in US terms).

POUCH 1 – DOUBLE CROCHET – Small (15cm)

� 1 x 50g (approx. 134m total) 5ply pure wool yarn

� 3.5mm hook

� Darning needle

� Scissors Row 1: Chain 38, then turn. Row 2: Ch1 (for the turning chain), dc 38, working into the back bumps of the founda�on chain s�tches. Turn. Row 3: Ch1 (for the turning chain), dc 38. Turn Row 4 onwards: Repeat Row 3 un�l your piece is twice as high as it is wide. Fasten off. Fold your piece in half so that it becomes a square. Seam both sides, leaving the top open. Try seaming with a crochet dc s�tch worked through the front loop of the edge nearest you and the back loop of the edge farthest away. Fasten off and weave in all the ends.

Possum Photo is © Wildlife Victoria . All other photos ©Mara Cunne�.

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POUCH 2 – LINEN STITCH – Medium (24cm)

� 2 x 50g (Approx 160m total) 8ply pure wool yarn

� 4mm hook

� Darning needle

� Scissors Row 1: Chain 49, then turn. Row 2: Ch1 (turning chain), 49dc, working s�tches into back bumps of the founda�on chain. Row 3: Ch1 (turning chain), then (dc1, ch1, sk 1) to last stitch, dc1. Row 4: Ch1 (turning chain), then dc1 in the first stitch. Work (dc1, ch1, sk 1) - working the dc stitches into the ch1 spaces of the row below - to the last ch1 space. Work 2dc. Turn. Row 5 onwards: Repeat last two rows - working the dc stitches into the ch1 spaces below, except for the first and last stitch of every row, which will always be dc stitches worked into dc stitches - until piece is almost 48cm high. (About 72 rows of linen stitch) Last Row: Work one row of straight dc. Seam the sides using a crochet dc seam (as per Pouch 1). Fasten off and weave in the ends.

Note: Makes a stretchy, drapey fabric which is still solid. Plus, you can use all those lovely variegated, stripey and speckled yarns! In the sample, I used a variegated yarn for one side, and a plain yarn for the other, by simply changing yarns halfway through.

Possum Photo is © Wildlife Victoria . All other photos ©Mara Cunne�.

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POUCH 3 – DOUBLE CROCHET (BACK LOOP ONLY) – Large (29cm)

� 3 x 50g (Approx 240m total) 8ply pure wool yarn

� 4.5mm hook

� Darning needle

� Scissors Special S�tch: dcBLO = double crochet, working the dc into the back loop only of the s�tch below, (instead of both loops as you normally would). Row 1: Chain 55, then turn. Row 2: Ch1 (for the turning chain), dc 55, working into the back bumps of the founda�on chain s�tches. Turn. Row 3: Ch1 (for the turning chain), dcBLO 55. Turn Row 4 onwards: Repeat Row 3 un�l your piece is twice as high as it is wide. Fasten off. Seam the sides using a crochet dc seam (as per Pouch 1). Fasten off and weave in the ends.

Note: This stitch gives a lot of vertical stretch. You could wet block it to increase the size, but the fabric won’t be as stretchy and warm afterwards.

In the sample, I almost ran out of the purple yarn, so I worked an optional decorative border at both ends to make up the difference.

Optional Border: I worked 3 rows of linen stitch (dc, sk1, ch1), placing a dc stitch at the beginning and end of each row. For the 3 rows of linen stitch, I alternated between rows of aqua, red, and aqua again. I worked a row of plain dc in aqua across the last row.